Online asynchronous game with player-matching mechanic based on gameplay characteristics

ABSTRACT

A player-matching mechanic selects users for an online asynchronous game where players specify moves at different times. Values from instances of the game are used to determine characteristics of the users including at least one of gameplay characteristics or chat characteristics. Users can be chosen for instances of the game by comparing values corresponding to these characteristics.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of and claims the benefit of priorityunder 35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/114,900,filed on May 24, 2011, which is hereby incorporated by reference hereinin its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to games and applications ingeneral and, in particular embodiments, to computer-implemented onlinegames.

BACKGROUND

In many games, there is a virtual world or some other imagined playingspace where a player/user of the game controls one or more playercharacters (herein “character,” “player character,” or “PC”). Playercharacters can be considered in-game representations of the controllingplayer. As used herein, the terms “player,” “user,” “entity,” and“friend” may refer to the in-game player character controlled by thatplayer, user, entity, or friend, unless context suggests otherwise. Thegame display can display a representation of the player character. Agame engine accepts inputs from the player, determines player characteractions, decides the outcomes of events, and presents the player with agame display illuminating what happened. In some games, there aremultiple players, wherein each player controls one or more playercharacters.

In many computer games, there are various types of in-game assets (aka“rewards” or “loot”) that a player character can obtain within the game.For example, a player character may acquire game points, gold coins,experience points, character levels, character attributes, virtual cash,game keys, or other in-game items of value. In many computer games,there are also various types of in-game obstacles that a player mustovercome to advance within the game. In-game obstacles can includetasks, puzzles, opponents, levels, gates, actions, and so forth. In somegames, a goal of the game may be to acquire certain in-game assets,which can then be used to complete in-game tasks or to overcome certainin-game obstacles. For example, a player may be able to acquire avirtual key (i.e., the in-game asset) that can then be used to open avirtual door (i.e., the in-game obstacle).

An electronic social networking system typically operates with one ormore social networking servers providing interaction between users suchthat a user can specify other users of the social networking system as“friends.” A collection of users and the “friend” connections betweenusers can form a social graph that can be traversed to find second,third and more remote connections between users, much like a graph ofnodes connected by edges can be traversed.

Many online computer games are operated on an online social network.Such a network allows both users and other parties to interact with thecomputer games directly, whether to play the games or to retrieve game-or user-related information. Internet users may maintain one or moreaccounts with various service providers, including, for example, onlinegame networking systems and online social networking systems. Onlinesystems can typically be accessed using browser clients (e.g., MICROSOFTINTERNET EXPLORER, MOZILLA FIREFOX, GOOGLE CHROME).

In many computer games, there are various types of in-game actions thata player character can make within the game. For example, a playercharacter in an online role-playing game may be able to interact withother player characters, build a virtual house, attack enemies, go on aquest, go to a virtual store to buy/sell virtual items, and so forth. Aplayer character in an online poker game may be able to play at specifictables, place bets of virtual currency for certain amounts, play or foldcertain hands, play in a online poker tournament, and so forth.

Matching players for an online game presents additional challenges sinceplayers may wish to join an instance of a game without previousknowledge of other available players. One factor for matching players istypically skill level, which can be based, for example, on a win-lossrecord or a rating system. For example, in some operational settings,players are randomly matched within a skill level. In multiplayersynchronous games, where players are simultaneously engaged, physicalproximity may also be considered as a factor for matching players inorder to avoid problems due to server lag. In multiplayer asynchronousgames, however, where players are not constrained to be simultaneouslyengaged, server proximity is less relevant and other criteria may bemore useful for promoting a desirable player experience. Thus, there isa need for improved methods for matching players in online asynchronousgames.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing particulardisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example social network.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method of matching players based on gameplaycharacteristics according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example method of matching players based ongameplay characteristics including playing frequency, playing intensity,or playing style.

FIG. 5 Illustrates an example method of matching players that includesclassifying users into groups that each correspond to a different rangeof gameplay values for some measure of gameplay characteristics.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of matching players based on chatcharacteristics according to an example embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example method of matching players based on chatcharacteristics including chat frequency, chat intensity, or chatsubstance.

FIG. 8 Illustrates an example method of matching players that includesclassifying users into groups that each correspond to a different rangeof chat values for some measure of chat characteristics.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example data flow in a system.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example network environment.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example computer system architecture.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system for implementing variousdisclosed embodiments. In particular embodiments, system 100 comprisesplayer 101, social networking system 120 a, game networking system 120b, client system 130, and network 160. The components of system 100 canbe connected to each other in any suitable configuration, using anysuitable type of connection. The components may be connected directly orover a network 160, which may be any suitable network. For example, oneor more portions of network 160 may be an ad hoc network, an intranet,an extranet, a virtual private network (VPN), a local area network(LAN), a wireless LAN (WLAN), a wide area network (WAN), a wireless WAN(WWAN), a metropolitan area network (MAN), a portion of the Internet, aportion of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a cellulartelephone network, another type of network, or a combination of two ormore such networks.

Social networking system 120 a is a network-addressable computing systemthat can host one or more social graphs. Social networking system 120 acan generate, store, receive, and transmit social networking data.Social networking system 120 a can be accessed by the other componentsof system 100 either directly or via network 160. Game networking system120 b is a network-addressable computing system that can host one ormore online games. Game networking system 120 b can generate, store,receive, and transmit game-related data, such as, for example, gameaccount data, game input, game state data, and game displays. Gamenetworking system 120 b can be accessed by the other components ofsystem 100 either directly or via network 160. Player 101 may use clientsystem 130 to access, send data to, and receive data from socialnetworking system 120 a and game networking system 120 b. Client system130 can access social networking system 120 or game networking system120 b directly, via network 160, or via a third-party system. As anexample and not by way of limitation, client system 130 may access gamenetworking system 120 b via social networking system 120 a. Clientsystem 130 can be any suitable computing device, such as a personalcomputer, laptop, cellular phone, smart phone, computing tablet, and soforth.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular number of players 101, socialnetworking systems 120 a, game networking systems 120 b, client systems130, and networks 160, this disclosure contemplates any suitable numberof players 101, social networking systems 120 a, game networking systems120 b, client systems 130, and networks 160. As an example and not byway of limitation, system 100 may include one or more game networkingsystems 120 b and no social networking systems 120 a. As another exampleand not by way of limitation, system 100 may include a system thatcomprises both social networking system 120 a and game networking system120 b. Moreover, although FIG. 1 illustrates a particular arrangement ofplayer 101, social networking system 120 a, game networking system 120b, client system 130, and network 160, this disclosure contemplates anysuitable arrangement of player 101, social networking system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160.

The components of system 100 may be connected to each other using anysuitable connections 110. For example, suitable connections 110 includewireline (such as, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or DataOver Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS)), wireless (such as,for example, Wi-Fi or Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access(WiMAX)) or optical (such as, for example, Synchronous Optical Network(SONET) or Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)) connections. Inparticular embodiments, one or more connections 110 each include an adhoc network, an intranet, an extranet, a VPN, a LAN, a WLAN, a WAN, aWWAN, a MAN, a portion of the Internet, a portion of the PSTN, acellular telephone network, another type of connection, or a combinationof two or more such connections. Connections 110 need not necessarily bethe same throughout system 100. One or more first connections 110 maydiffer in one or more respects from one or more second connections 110.Although FIG. 1 illustrates particular connections between player 101,social networking system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, clientsystem 130, and network 160, this disclosure contemplates any suitableconnections between player 101, social networking system 120 a, gamenetworking system 120 b, client system 130, and network 160. As anexample and not by way of limitation, in particular embodiments, clientsystem 130 may have a direct connection to social networking system 120a or game networking system 120 b, bypassing network 160.

Online Games and Game Systems

In an online computer game, a game engine manages the game state of thegame. Game state comprises all game play parameters, including playercharacter state, non-player character (NPC) state, in-game object state,game world state (e.g., internal game clocks, game environment), andother game play parameters. Each player 101 controls one or more playercharacters (PCs). The game engine controls all other aspects of thegame, including non-player characters (NPCs), and in-game objects. Thegame engine also manages the game state, including player characterstate for currently active (online) and inactive (offline) players.

An online game can be hosted by game networking system 120 b, which canbe accessed using any suitable connection with a suitable client system130. A player may have a game account on game networking system 120 b,wherein the game account can contain a variety of information associatedwith the player (e.g., the player's personal information, financialinformation, purchase history, player character state, and game state).In some embodiments, a player may play multiple games on game networkingsystem 120 b, which may maintain a single game account for the playerwith respect to all the games, or multiple individual game accounts foreach game with respect to the player. In some embodiments, gamenetworking system 120 b can assign a unique identifier to each player101 of an online game hosted on game networking system 120 b. Gamenetworking system 120 b can determine that a player 101 is accessing theonline game by reading the user's cookies, which may be appended toHyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) requests transmitted by client system130, and/or by the player 101 logging onto the online game.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access an online game andcontrol the game's progress via client system 130 (e.g., by inputtingcommands to the game at the client device). Client system 130 candisplay the game interface, receive inputs from player 101, transmituser inputs or other events to the game engine, and receive instructionsfrom the game engine. The game engine can be executed on any suitablesystem (such as, for example, client system 130, social networkingsystem 120 a, or game networking system 120 b). As an example and not byway of limitation, client system 130 can download client components ofan online game, which are executed locally, while a remote game server,such as game networking system 120 b, provides backend support for theclient components and may be responsible for maintaining applicationdata of the game, processing the inputs from the player, updating and/orsynchronizing the game state based on the game logic and each input fromthe player, and transmitting instructions to client system 130. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, each time player 101provides an input to the game through the client system 130 (such as,for example, by typing on the keyboard or clicking the mouse of clientsystem 130), the client components of the game may transmit the player'sinput to game networking system 120 b.

Game Systems, Social Networks, and Social Graphs

In an online multiplayer game, players may control player characters(PCs), while a game engine controls non-player characters (NPCs) andgame features. The game engine also manages player character state andgame state and tracks the state for currently active (i.e., online)players and currently inactive (i.e., offline) players. A playercharacter can have a set of attributes and a set of friends associatedwith the player character. As used herein, the term “player characterstate” can refer to any in-game characteristic of a player character,such as location, assets, levels, condition, health, status, inventory,skill set, name, orientation, affiliation, specialty, and so on. Playercharacters may be displayed as graphical avatars within a user interfaceof the game. In other implementations, no avatar or other graphicalrepresentation of the player character is displayed. Game stateencompasses the notion of player character state and refers to anyparameter value that characterizes the state of an in-game element, suchas a non-player character, a virtual object (such as a wall or castle),and so forth. The game engine may use player character state todetermine the outcome of game events, while sometimes also consideringset or random variables. Generally, a player character's probability ofhaving a more favorable outcome is greater when the player character hasa better state. For example, a healthier player character is less likelyto die in a particular encounter relative to a weaker player characteror non-player character. In some embodiments, the game engine can assigna unique client identifier to each player.

In particular embodiments, player 101 may access particular gameinstances of an online game. A game instance is a copy of a specificgame play area that is created during runtime. In particularembodiments, a game instance is a discrete game play area where one ormore players 101 can interact in synchronous or asynchronous play. Agame instance may be, for example, a level, zone, area, region,location, virtual space, or other suitable play area. A game instancemay be populated by one or more in-game objects. Each object may bedefined within the game instance by one or more variables, such as, forexample, position, height, width, depth, direction, time, duration,speed, color, and other suitable variables. A game instance may beexclusive (i.e., accessible by specific players) or non-exclusive (i.e.,accessible by any player). In particular embodiments, a game instance ispopulated by one or more player characters controlled by one or moreplayers 101 and one or more in-game objects controlled by the gameengine. When accessing an online game, the game engine may allow player101 to select a particular game instance to play from a plurality ofgame instances. Alternatively, the game engine may automatically selectthe game instance that player 101 will access. In particularembodiments, an online game comprises only one game instance that allplayers 101 of the online game can access.

In particular embodiments, a specific game instance may be associatedwith one or more specific players. A game instance is associated with aspecific player when one or more game parameters of the game instanceare associated with the specific player. As an example and not by way oflimitation, a game instance associated with a first player may be named“First Player's Play Area.” This game instance may be populated with thefirst player's PC and one or more in-game objects associated with thefirst player. In particular embodiments, a game instance associated witha specific player may only be accessible by that specific player. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a first player may access a firstgame instance when playing an online game, and this first game instancemay be inaccessible to all other players. In other embodiments, a gameinstance associated with a specific player may be accessible by one ormore other players, either synchronously or asynchronously with thespecific player's game play. As an example and not by way of limitation,a first player may be associated with a first game instance, but thefirst game instance may be accessed by all first-degree friends in thefirst player's social network. In particular embodiments, the gameengine may create a specific game instance for a specific player whenthat player accesses the game. As an example and not by way oflimitation, the game engine may create a first game instance when afirst player initially accesses an online game, and that same gameinstance may be loaded each time the first player accesses the game. Asanother example and not by way of limitation, the game engine may createa new game instance each time a first player accesses an online game,wherein each game instance may be created randomly or selected from aset of predetermined game instances. In particular embodiments, the setof in-game actions available to a specific player may be different in agame instance that is associated with that player compared to a gameinstance that is not associated with that player. The set of in-gameactions available to a specific player in a game instance associatedwith that player may be a subset, superset, or independent of the set ofin-game actions available to that player in a game instance that is notassociated with him. As an example and not by way of limitation, a firstplayer may be associated with Blackacre Farm in an online farming game.The first player may be able to plant crops on Blackacre Farm. If thefirst player accesses a game instance associated with another player,such as Whiteacre Farm, the game engine may not allow the first playerto plant crops in that game instance. However, other in-game actions maybe available to the first player, such as watering or fertilizing cropson Whiteacre Farm.

In particular embodiments, a game engine can interface with a socialgraph. Social graphs are models of connections between entities (e.g.,individuals, users, contacts, friends, players, player characters,non-player characters, businesses, groups, associations, concepts,etc.). These entities are considered “users” of the social graph; assuch, the terms “entity” and “user” may be used interchangeably whenreferring to social graphs herein. A social graph can have a node foreach entity and edges to represent relationships between entities. Anode in a social graph can represent any entity. In particularembodiments, a unique client identifier can be assigned to each user inthe social graph. In general, this disclosure assumes that at least oneentity of a social graph is a player or player character in an onlinemultiplayer game, although this disclosure is applicable to players orplayer characters that are not characterized as entities of a socialgraph.

The minimum number of edges required to connect a player (or playercharacter) to another user is considered the degree of separationbetween them. For example, where the player and the user are directlyconnected (one edge), they are deemed to be separated by one degree ofseparation. The user would be a so-called “first-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through one otheruser (two edges), they are deemed to be separated by two degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “second-degree friend” of theplayer. Where the player and the user are connected through N edges (orN−1 other users), they are deemed to be separated by N degrees ofseparation. This user would be a so-called “Nth-degree friend.” As usedherein, the term “friend” means only first-degree friends, unlesscontext suggests otherwise.

Within the social graph, each player (or player character) has a socialnetwork. A player's social network includes all users in the socialgraph within N_(max) degrees of the player, where N_(max) is the maximumdegree of separation allowed by the system managing the social graph(such as, for example, social networking system 120 a or game networkingsystem 120 b). In one embodiment, N_(max) equals 1, such that theplayer's social network includes only first-degree friends. In anotherembodiment, N_(max) is unlimited and the player's social network iscoextensive with the social graph.

In particular embodiments, the social graph is managed by gamenetworking system 120 b, which is managed by the game operator. In otherembodiments, the social graph is part of a social networking system 120a managed by a third-party (e.g., Facebook, Friendster, Myspace). In yetother embodiments, player 101 has a social network on both gamenetworking system 120 b and social networking system 120 a, whereinplayer 101 can have a social network on the game networking system 120 bthat is a subset, superset, or independent of the player's socialnetwork on social networking system 120 a. In such combined systems,game network system 120 b can maintain social graph information withedge type attributes that indicate whether a given friend is an “in-gamefriend,” an “out-of-game friend,” or both. The various embodimentsdisclosed herein are operable when the social graph is managed by socialnetworking system 120 a, game networking system 120 b, or both.

FIG. 2 shows an example of a social network within a social graph. Asshown, Player 201 can be associated, connected or linked to variousother users, or “friends,” within the social network 200. Theseassociations, connections or links can track relationships between userswithin the social network 200 and are commonly referred to as online“friends” or “friendships” between users. Each friend or friendship in aparticular user's social network within a social graph is commonlyreferred to as a “node.” For purposes of illustration and not by way oflimitation, the details of social network 200 will be described inrelation to Player 201. As used herein, the terms “player” and “user”can be used interchangeably and can refer to any user or character in anonline multiuser game system or social networking system. As usedherein, the term “friend” can mean any node within a player's socialnetwork.

As shown in FIG. 2, Player 201 has direct connections with severalfriends. When Player 201 has a direct connection with anotherindividual, that connection is referred to as a first-degree friend. Insocial network 200, Player 201 has four first-degree friends. That is,Player 201 is directly connected to Friend 1 ₁ 211, Friend 2 ₁ 221,Friend 3 ₁ 231, and Friend 4 ₁ 241. In a social graph, it is possiblefor individuals to be connected to other individuals through theirfirst-degree friends (i.e., friends of friends). As described above,each edge required to connect a player to another user is considered thedegree of separation. For example, FIG. 2 shows that Player 201 hasthree second-degree friends to which he is connected via his connectionto his first-degree friends. Second-degree Friend 1 ₂ 212 and Friend 2 ₂222 are connected to Player 201 via his first-degree Friend 1 ₁ 211, andsecond-degree Friend 4 ₂ 242 is connected to Player 201 via hisfirst-degree Friend 3 ₁ 231. The limit on the depth of friendconnections, or the number of degrees of separation for associations,that Player 201 is allowed is typically dictated by the restrictions andpolicies implemented by social networking system 120 a.

In various embodiments, Player 201 can have Nth-degree friends connectedto him through a chain of intermediary degree friends as indicated inFIG. 2. For example, Nth-degree Friend 1 _(N) 219 is connected to Player201 via second-degree Friend 3 ₂ 232 and one or more other higher-degreefriends. Various embodiments may take advantage of and utilize thedistinction between the various degrees of friendship relative to Player201.

In particular embodiments, a player (or player character) can have asocial graph within an online multiplayer game that is maintained by thegame engine and another social graph maintained by a separate socialnetworking system. FIG. 2 depicts an example of in-game social network260 and out-of-game social network 250. In this example, Player 201 hasout-of-game connections 255 to a plurality of friends, formingout-of-game social network 250. Here, Friend 1 ₁ 211 and Friend 2 ₁ 221are first-degree friends with Player 201 in his out-of-game socialnetwork 250. Player 201 also has in-game connections 265 to a pluralityof players, forming in-game social network 260. Here, Friend 2 ₁ 221,Friend 3 ₁ 231, and Friend 4 ₁ 241 are first-degree friends with Player201 in his in-game social network 260, and Friend 4 ₂ 242 is asecond-degree friend. In some embodiments, it is possible for a friendto be in both the out-of-game social network 250 and the in-game socialnetwork 260. Here, Friend 2 ₁ 221 has both an out-of-game connection 255and an in-game connection 265 with Player 201, such that Friend 2 ₁ 221is in both Player 201's in-game social network 260 and Player 201'sout-of-game social network 250.

As with other social networks, Player 201 can have second-degree andhigher-degree friends in both his in-game and out of game socialnetworks. In some embodiments, it is possible for Player 201 to have afriend connected to him both in his in-game and out-of-game socialnetworks, wherein the friend is at different degrees of separation ineach network. For example, if Friend 2 ₂ 222 had a direct in-gameconnection with Player 201, Friend 2 ₂ 222 would be a second-degreefriend in Player 201's out-of-game social network, but a first-degreefriend in Player 201's in-game social network. In particularembodiments, a game engine can access in-game social network 260,out-of-game social network 250, or both.

In particular embodiments, the connections in a player's in-game socialnetwork can be formed both explicitly (e.g., users must “friend” eachother) and implicitly (e.g., the system observes user behaviors and“friends” users to each other). Unless otherwise indicated, reference toa friend connection between two or more players can be interpreted tocover both explicit and implicit connections, using one or more socialgraphs and other factors to infer friend connections. The friendconnections can be unidirectional or bidirectional. It is also not alimitation of this description that two players who are deemed “friends”for the purposes of this disclosure are not friends in real life (i.e.,in disintermediated interactions or the like), but that could be thecase.

Game Systems and Game Interfaces

A game event may be an outcome of an engagement, a provision of access,rights and/or benefits, or the obtaining of some assets (e.g., health,money, strength, inventory, land, etc.). A game engine determines theoutcome of a game event according to a variety of factors, such as thegame rules, a player character's in-game actions, player characterstate, game state, interactions of other player characters, and randomcalculations. Engagements can include simple tasks (e.g., plant a crop,clean a stove), complex tasks (e.g., build a farm or business, run acafé), or other events.

An online game can be hosted by a game networking system, which can beaccessed over any suitable network with an appropriate client system(e.g., as in FIG. 10). A player may have a game system account on a gamesystem, wherein the game system account can contain a variety ofinformation about the player (e.g., the player's personal information,player character state, game state, etc.). In various embodiments, anonline game can be embedded into a third-party website. The game can behosted by the networking system of the third-party website, or it can behosted on the game system and merely accessed via the third-partywebsite. The embedded online game can be hosted solely on a server ofthe game system or use a third-party vendor server. In addition, anycombination of the functions of the present disclosure can be hosted onor provided from any number of distributed network resources. Forexample, one or more executable code objects that implement all or aportion of the game can be downloaded to a client system for execution.

A webpage-based game interface for an online game may be accessed by abrowser client (e.g., MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER, MOZILLA FIREFOX,GOOGLE CHROME). In various embodiments, a user of a client system 130can use a browser client to access the online game over the Internet (orother suitable network). A game interface may be automatically generatedand presented to the user in response to the user visiting or accessingthe game operator's website or a third-party's website from clientsystem 130 with a browser client. Game system 120 b can transmit data toclient system 130, allowing it to display the game interface, which istypically some type of graphic user interface. For example, the webpagedownloaded to client system 130 may include an embedded call that causesclient system 130 to download an executable object, such as a Flash .SWFobject, which executes on client system 130 and renders the game withinthe context of the webpage. Other interface types are possible, such asserver-side rendering and the like. Typically a game interface isconfigured to receive signals from the user via client system 130. Forexample, the user may click on a game interface or enter commands from akeyboard or other suitable input device. The game engine can respond tothese signals to allow game play. The display of a game interface maychange based on the output of the game engine, the input of the player,and other signals from game system 120 b and client system 130.

Typically a game interface can display various game components, such asthe game environment, options available to the player (e.g., in-gameactions, preferences, settings, etc.), game results, and so forth. Somecomponents of the game interface may be static, while others may bedynamic (e.g., changing with game play). The user may be able tointeract with some components (e.g., player character, NPCs, virtualobjects, etc.) and not interact with other components (e.g., thebackground of the virtual world, such as the virtual street orsidewalk). The user can engage in specific in-game actions or activitiesby providing input to the game interface.

Virtual Currency

In various embodiments, players within the game can acquire virtualcurrency. In such games, the virtual currency might be represented byvirtual coins, virtual cash, or by a number or value stored by theserver for that player's benefit. Such virtual currency represents unitsof value for use in the online game system and is analogous to legalcurrency. Virtual currency can be purchased in one or more actual cashor credit transactions by a player, where the legal currency istransferred using a credit/debit/charge card transaction conveyed over afinancial network. In some embodiments, a player may earn virtualcurrency by taking action in the game. For example, a player may berewarded with one or more units of virtual currency after completing atask, quest, challenge, or mission within the game. For example, afarming game might reward 10 gold coins each time a virtual crop isharvested.

In some embodiments, virtual currency can be used to purchase one ormore in-game assets or other benefits. For example, a player may be ableto exchange virtual currency for a desired level, access, right, or itemin an online game. In one embodiment, legal currency can be used todirectly purchase an in-game asset or other benefit. The player canselect the desired in-game asset or other benefit. Once the selectionsare made, the player can place the order to purchase the in-game assetor other benefit. This order is received by the game system, which canthen process the order. If the order is processed successfully, anappropriate financial account associated with the player can be debitedby the amount of virtual currency or legal currency needed to buy theselected in-game asset or other benefit.

In some embodiments, multiple types of virtual currency may be availablefor purchase from the game system operator. For example, an online gamemay have virtual gold coins and virtual cash. The different types ofvirtual currency may have different exchange rates with respect to legalcurrency and each other. For example, a player may be able to exchange$1 in legal currency for either 100 virtual gold coins or $2 in virtualcash, but virtual gold coins may not be exchanged for virtual cash.Similarly, where in-game assets and other benefits can be purchased withvirtual currency, they may have different exchange rates with respect tothe different types of virtual currency. For example, a player may beable to buy a virtual business object for $10 in virtual cash, but maynot purchase the virtual business object for virtual gold coins alone.In some embodiments, certain types of virtual currency can be acquiredby engaging in various in-game actions while other types of virtualcurrency can only be acquired by exchanging legal currency. For example,a player may be able to acquire virtual gold coins by selling virtualgoods in a business, but can only acquire virtual cash by exchanginglegal currency. In some implementations, virtual cash may also beawarded for leveling up in the game.

Player-Matching Mechanic for Asynchronous Games

In addition to an opponent's skill level, the quality of a player'sexperience in an online asynchronous game may be affected by otherfactors related to his opponent's moves and social behavior related tothose moves. For example, when the playing frequency (e.g., how often aplayer makes a move in the game) varies substantially between twoplayers, one of them may lose interest or even forget about the game.Similarly, chatting frequency (e.g., how often a player chats with anopponent during a game) varies substantially between players, but cansignificantly affect engagement of other users. For example, while notmaking a move, a user may be enticed to enter a game because he hasreceived a chat message from another player. On the other hand, if aplayer does not respond to chats, one or both of the players may becomefrustrated with the experience. In accordance with certain embodiments,a player-matching mechanic facilitates player matching in onlineasynchronous games by comparing user values for at least one of gameplaycharacteristics or chat characteristics.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart that illustrates a method 300 of matching twoor more players in an online asynchronous game according to an exampleembodiment. Typically in an asynchronous game, players specify moves atdifferent times so that they need not be present or active at the sametime. In many cases, a game includes multiple rounds in which playersalternate moves at different times (e.g., chess). However, in some casesthe game may include multiple rounds in which players specify moves atdifferent times in each round before a common deadline in that round(e.g., certain multi-player games). In some cases the moves may eachinclude multiple discrete component moves.

A first operation 302 includes receiving values for moves correspondingto users playing in instances of the online asynchronous game whereplayers specify moves at different times. A second operation 304includes determining gameplay characteristics for the users from themoves to characterize gameplay patterns over time. A third operation 306includes matching a first user and a second user for a selected instanceof the online asynchronous game by comparing their correspondinggameplay characteristics.

The gameplay characteristics may include a variety of move-relatedfeatures. FIG. 4 shows an example method 310, where determining gameplaycharacteristics 312 includes calculating values for one or more ofplaying frequency 314, playing intensity 316, or playing style 318. Forexample, the playing frequency 314 may be calculated as a value for howoften that user plays the online asynchronous game with respect to areference time zone (e.g., typically once a day by Eastern Standard Time(EST)). In this context, the reference time zone may be morespecifically and narrowly defined, for example, as a portion of aconventional time zone (e.g., 8 pm-4 am EST). Alternatively, the playingfrequency 314 may be calculated as a value for how long that user waitsin the online asynchronous game before responding to another player(e.g., typically ten hours). As another example, playing intensity 316may be calculated as a value for how many simultaneous instances of theonline asynchronous game that user plays (e.g., typically tensimultaneous games). As yet another example, playing style 318 may becalculated as one or more values for how often that user employsselected move patterns in the online asynchronous game (e.g., typicallyincludes complex strategy moves). These selected move patterns mayinclude selectively enabled special features of a game that some but notall users prefer to include in the game experience.

Then, with available gameplay characteristics, it is possible to matchplayers with similar characteristics or selectively dissimilarcharacteristics depending on the requirements of the operationalsetting. For example, in some cases it may be desirable to matchrelatively similar players to ensure compatibility (e.g., similarplaying frequencies). Similarity may also include players from differenttime zones who are active simultaneously. For example, someone who playsevery morning in Japan could be matched with someone who plays atnight-time in the United States in the case where they wish to play atthe same or similar times relative to the reference time zone (e.g.,EST). Alternatively, it may be desirable to match players withquantified dissimilarities (e.g., different playing frequencies) toalter the players' gaming experience and measure the results (e.g.,whether the lower-frequency player now plays faster or thehigher-frequency player now plays slower). FIG. 5 shows an examplemethod 320 that includes classifying users into groups that eachcorrespond to a different range of gameplay values for some measure ofgameplay characteristics (e.g., frequency of play) at a first operation322. The method 320 then includes matching the first user and the seconduser by selecting them from an identical group or from different groupsat a second operation 324. For example, the different groups may becharacterized by a threshold difference between gameplay values in thetwo groups (e.g., with respect to minimum and maximum playing frequencyvalues for each group). The selection within a group can be carried outrandomly (e.g., with a conventional random number generator) or byapplying another selection principle such as skill level or chatcharacteristics as discussed below.

In addition to gameplay characteristics based on moves played, playersmay be matched by the characteristics of chat communications betweenplayers in an online asynchronous game. FIG. 6 shows a flowchart thatillustrates a method 330 of matching two or more players in an onlineasynchronous game according to an example embodiment.

A first operation 332 includes receiving values for chat communicationscorresponding to users playing in instances of the online asynchronousgame where players specify moves at different times. For example, thechat communications may occur during the moves or between moves of thegame. A second operation 334 includes determining chat characteristicsfor the users from the chat communications to characterize chat patternsover time. A third operation 336 includes matching a first user and asecond user for a selected instance of the online asynchronous game bycomparing their corresponding chat characteristics.

The chat characteristics may include a variety of move-related features.FIG. 7 shows an example method 340, where determining chatcharacteristics 342 includes calculating values for one or more of chatfrequency 344, chat intensity 346 or chat substance 348. For example,the chat frequency 344 may be calculated as a value for how often thatuser initiates a chat communication during the online asynchronous game(e.g., typically after every move). Alternatively, the chat frequency344 may be calculated as a value for how often that user participates ina chat communication during the online asynchronous game (e.g.,typically at the start and the end of a game). As another example, chatintensity 346 may be calculated as a value for a size of a chatcommunication for that user in the online asynchronous game. Forexample, this size (e.g., number of words or characters) may becalculated for a typical or random discrete chat communication oralternatively for the union of all chat communications during aninstance of the game. As yet another example, chat substance 348 may becalculated as one or more values for how often that user includesselected text elements in a chat communication during the onlineasynchronous game (e.g., typically uses complimentary words to describeopponent).

Then, similarly to the above-described matching by gameplaycharacteristics, it is possible to match players with similar chatcharacteristics or selectively dissimilar chat characteristics dependingon the requirements of the operational setting. For example, in somecases it may be desirable to match relatively similar players to ensurecompatibility (e.g., similar chat frequencies). Alternatively, it may bedesirable to match players with quantified dissimilarities (e.g.,different chat frequencies, typically initiates chats or chats withfriend-list players versus chatting with random players) to alter theplayers' gaming experience and measure the results (e.g., whether thelower-frequency player now chats more frequently or the higher-frequencyplayer now chats less frequently). FIG. 8 shows an example method 350that includes classifying users into groups that each correspond to adifferent range of chat values for some measure of chat characteristics(e.g., chat frequency) at a first operation 352. The method 350 thenincludes matching the first user and the second user by selecting themfrom an identical group or from different groups at a second operation354. For example, the different groups may be characterized by athreshold difference between chat values in the two groups (e.g., withrespect to minimum and maximum chat frequency values for each group).

In some embodiments chat values may be used in combination with gameplayvalues for matching players. For example, players may first be separatedinto groups by comparing gameplay values, and then players may beselected from an identical group or from different groups by comparingchat values. Similarly, players may be first grouped according togameplay values, then grouped according to chat values, and thenrandomly selected from identical or different groups. As discussedabove, skill level (e.g., a skill rating) may also used in the selectionprocess, for example, by first grouping for skill level, then groupingfor gameplay values, then grouping for chat values, and then randomlyselecting from identical or different groups. In general, separate orrecursive groupings can be made according to one or more criteria forskill level, gameplay values or chat values, and the selection processmay include one or more of these criteria or a randomization process.

In some embodiments the asynchronous game may be considered as a familyof games that share common features so that gameplay characteristics orchat characteristics may be used to match players in an instance of aspecific game variant within the family. For example, gameplaycharacteristics and chat characteristics corresponding to a family ofstrategic games may be used to match two players in an instance of achess game even if those two players had not previously played chess inthe online system.

Additional embodiments relate to an apparatus for carrying out any oneof the above-described methods (e.g., as a game mechanic), where theapparatus includes a computer for executing computer instructionsrelated to the method. In this context the computer may be ageneral-purpose computer including, for example, a processor, memory,storage, and input/output devices (e.g., keyboard, display, disk drive,Internet connection, etc.). However, the computer may include circuitryor other specialized hardware for carrying out some or all aspects ofthe method. In some operational settings, the apparatus or computer maybe configured as a system that includes one or more modular units, eachof which is configured to carry out some aspects of the method either insoftware, in hardware or in some combination thereof. For example, thesystem may be configured as part of a computer network that includes theInternet. At least some values for the results of the method can besaved for later use in a computer-readable medium, including memoryunits (e.g., RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory)) andstorage devices (e.g., hard-disk systems, optical storage systems).

Additional embodiments also relate to a computer-readable medium thatstores (e.g., tangibly embodies) a computer program for carrying out anyone of the above-described methods by means of a computer. The computerprogram may be written, for example, in a general-purpose programminglanguage (e.g., C, C++) or some specialized application-specificlanguage. The computer program may be stored as an encoded file in someuseful format (e.g., binary, American Standard Code for InformationInterchange (ASCII)). In some contexts, the computer-readable medium maybe alternatively described as a computer-useable medium, acomputer-storage medium, a computer-program medium, machine-readablemedium or some alternative non-transitory storage medium. Depending onthe operational setting, specified values for the above-describedmethods may correspond to input files for the computer program orcomputer.

Data Flow

FIG. 9 illustrates an example data flow between the components of system500. In particular embodiments, system 500 can include client system530, social networking system 520 a, and game networking system 520 b.The components of system 500 can be connected to each other in anysuitable configuration and using any suitable type of connection. Thecomponents may be connected directly or over any suitable network.Client system 530, social networking system 520 a, and game networkingsystem 520 b can each have one or more corresponding data stores such aslocal data store 525, social data store 545, and game data store 565,respectively. Social networking system 520 a and game networking system520 b can also have one or more servers that can communicate with clientsystem 530 over an appropriate network. Social networking system 520 aand game networking system 520 b can have, for example, one or moreinternet servers for communicating with client system 530 via theInternet. Similarly, social networking system 520 a and game networkingsystem 520 b can have one or more mobile servers for communicating withclient system 530 via a mobile network (e.g., Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM), Personal Communications Service (PCS), WirelessPersonal Area Network (WPAN), Wi-Fi, etc.). In some embodiments, oneserver may be able to communicate with client system 530 over both theInternet and a mobile network. In other embodiments, separate serverscan be used.

Client system 530 can receive and transmit data 523 to and from gamenetworking system 520 b. This data can include, for example, webpages,messages, game inputs, game displays, HTTP packets, data requests,transaction information, updates, and other suitable data. At some othertime, or at the same time, game networking system 520 b can communicatedata 543, 547 (e.g., game state information, game system accountinformation, page info, messages, data requests, updates, etc.) withother networking systems, such as social networking system 520 a (e.g.,FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, etc.). Client system 530 can also receive andtransmit data 527 to and from social networking system 520 a. This datacan include, for example, webpages, messages, social graph information,social network displays, HTTP packets, data requests, transactioninformation, updates, and other suitable data.

Communication between client system 530, social networking system 520 a,and game networking system 520 b can occur over any appropriateelectronic communication medium or network using any suitablecommunications protocols. For example, client system 530, as well asvarious servers of the systems described herein, may include TransportControl Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) networking stacks to providefor datagram and transport functions. Of course, any other suitablenetwork and transport layer protocols can be utilized.

In addition, hosts or end-systems described herein may use a variety ofhigher layer communications protocols, including client-server (orrequest-response) protocols, such as HTTP. Other communicationsprotocols, such as HTTP Secure (HTTP-S), File Transfer Protocol (FTP),Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP), Telnet, and a number of otherprotocols, may also be used. In addition, a server in one interactioncontext may be a client in another interaction context. In particularembodiments, the information transmitted between hosts may be formattedas HyperText Markup Language (HTML) documents including HTML5 documents.Other structured document languages or formats can be used, such asExtensible Markup Language (XML), and the like. Executable code objects,such as JavaScript and ActionScript, can also be embedded in thestructured documents.

In some client-server protocols, such as the use of HTML over HTTP, aserver generally transmits a response to a request from a client. Theresponse may comprise one or more data objects. For example, theresponse may comprise a first data object, followed by subsequentlytransmitted data objects. In particular embodiments, a client requestmay cause a server to respond with a first data object, such as an HTMLpage, which itself refers to other data objects. A client application,such as a browser, will request these additional data objects as itparses or otherwise processes the first data object.

In particular embodiments, an instance of an online game can be storedas a set of game state parameters that characterize the state of variousin-game objects, such as, for example, player character stateparameters, non-player character parameters, and virtual itemparameters. In particular embodiments, a game state is maintained in adatabase as a serialized, unstructured string of text data as aso-called Binary Large Object (BLOB). When a player accesses an onlinegame on game networking system 520 b, the BLOB containing the game statefor the instance corresponding to the player can be transmitted toclient system 530 for processing by a client-side executable object. Inparticular embodiments, the client-side executable may be a FLASH-basedgame, which can de-serialize the game state data in the BLOB. As aplayer plays the game, the game logic implemented at client system 530maintains and modifies the various game state parameters locally. Theclient-side game logic may also batch game events, such as mouse clicks,and transmit these events to game networking system 520 b. Gamenetworking system 520 b may itself operate by retrieving a copy of theBLOB from a database or an intermediate memory cache (memcache) layer.Game networking system 520 b can also de-serialize the BLOB to resolvethe game state parameters and execute its own game logic based on theevents in the batch file of events transmitted by the client tosynchronize the game state on the server side. Game networking system520 b may then re-serialize the game state, now modified, into a BLOBand pass this to a memory cache layer for lazy updates to a persistentdatabase.

With a client-server environment in which the online games may run, oneserver system, such as game networking system 520 b, may supportmultiple client systems 530. At any given time, there may be multipleplayers at multiple client systems 530 all playing the same online game.In practice, the number of players playing the same game at the sametime may be very large. As the game progresses with each player,multiple players may provide different inputs to the online game attheir respective client systems 530, and multiple client systems 530 maytransmit multiple player inputs and/or game events to game networkingsystem 520 b for further processing. In addition, multiple clientsystems 530 may transmit other types of application data to gamenetworking system 520 b.

In particular embodiments, a computer-implemented game may be atext-based or turn-based game implemented as a series of web pages thatare generated after a player selects one or more actions to perform. Theweb pages may be displayed in a browser client executed on client system530. As an example and not by way of limitation, a client applicationdownloaded to client system 530 may operate to serve a set of webpagesto a player. As another example and not by way of limitation, acomputer-implemented game may be an animated or rendered game executableas a stand-alone application or within the context of a webpage or otherstructured document. In particular embodiments, the computer-implementedgame may be implemented using Adobe Flash-based technologies. As anexample and not by way of limitation, a game may be fully or partiallyimplemented as a SWF object that is embedded in a web page andexecutable by a Flash media player plug-in. In particular embodiments,one or more described webpages may be associated with, or accessed by,social networking system 520 a. This disclosure contemplates using anysuitable application for the retrieval and rendering of structureddocuments hosted by any suitable network-addressable resource orwebsite.

Application event data of a game is any data relevant to the game (e.g.,player inputs). In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value, and the value of the application datum maychange (i.e., be updated) at any time. When an update to an applicationdatum occurs at client system 530, either caused by an action of a gameplayer or by the game logic itself, client system 530 may need to informgame networking system 520 b of the update. For example, if the game isa farming game with a harvest mechanic (such as Zynga FarmVille), anevent can correspond to a player clicking on a parcel of land to harvesta crop. In such an instance, the application event data may identify anevent or action (e.g., harvest) and an object in the game to which theevent or action applies. For illustration purposes and not by way oflimitation, system 500 is discussed in reference to updating amulti-player online game hosted on a network-addressable system (suchas, for example, social networking system 520 a or game networkingsystem 520 b), where an instance of the online game is executed remotelyon a client system 530, which then transmits application event data tothe hosting system such that the remote game server synchronizes gamestate associated with the instance executed by the client system 530.

In a particular embodiment, one or more objects of a game may berepresented as an Adobe Flash object. Flash may manipulate vector andraster graphics, and supports bidirectional streaming of audio andvideo. “Flash” may mean the authoring environment, the player, or theapplication files. In particular embodiments, client system 530 mayinclude a Flash client. The Flash client may be configured to receiveand run the Flash application or game object code from any suitablenetworking system (such as, for example, social networking system 520 aor game networking system 520 b). In particular embodiments, the Flashclient may be run in a browser client executed on client system 530. Aplayer can interact with Flash objects using client system 530 and theFlash client. The Flash objects can represent a variety of in-gameobjects. Thus, the player may perform various in-game actions on variousin-game objects by making various changes and updates to the associatedFlash objects. In particular embodiments, in-game actions can beinitiated by clicking or similarly interacting with a Flash object thatrepresents a particular in-game object. For example, a player caninteract with a Flash object to use, move, rotate, delete, attack,shoot, or harvest an in-game object. This disclosure contemplatesperforming any suitable in-game action by interacting with any suitableFlash object. In particular embodiments, when the player makes a changeto a Flash object representing an in-game object, the client-executedgame logic may update one or more game state parameters associated withthe in-game object. To ensure synchronization with the Flash objectshown to the player at client system 530, the Flash client may send theevents that caused the game state changes to the in-game object to gamenetworking system 520 b. However, to expedite the processing and hencethe speed of the overall gaming experience, the Flash client may collecta batch of some number of events or updates into a batch file. Thenumber of events or updates may be determined by the Flash clientdynamically or determined by game networking system 520 b based onserver loads or other factors. For example, client system 530 may send abatch file to game networking system 520 b whenever 50 updates have beencollected or after a threshold period of time, such as every minute.

As used herein, the term “application event data” may refer to any datarelevant to a computer-implemented game application that may affect oneor more game state parameters, including, for example and withoutlimitation, changes to player data or metadata, changes to player socialconnections or contacts, player inputs to the game, and events generatedby the game logic. In particular embodiments, each application datum mayhave a name and a value. The value of an application datum may change atany time in response to the game play of a player or in response to thegame engine (e.g., based on the game logic). In particular embodiments,an application data update occurs when the value of a specificapplication datum is changed. In particular embodiments, eachapplication event datum may include an action or event name and a value(such as an object identifier). Thus, each application datum may berepresented as a name-value pair in the batch file. The batch file mayinclude a collection of name-value pairs representing the applicationdata that have been updated at client system 530. In particularembodiments, the batch file may be a text file, and the name-value pairsmay be in string format.

In particular embodiments, when a player plays an online game on clientsystem 530, game networking system 520 b may serialize all thegame-related data, including, for example and without limitation, gamestates, game events, and user inputs, for this particular user and thisparticular game into a BLOB and store the BLOB in a database. The BLOBmay be associated with an identifier that indicates that the BLOBcontains the serialized game-related data for a particular player and aparticular online game. In particular embodiments, while a player is notplaying the online game, the corresponding BLOB may be stored in thedatabase. This enables a player to stop playing the game at any timewithout losing the current state of the game that the player is in. Whena player resumes playing the game next time, game networking system 520b may retrieve the corresponding BLOB from the database to determine themost-recent values of the game-related data. In particular embodiments,while a player is playing the online game, game networking system 520 bmay also load the corresponding BLOB into a memory cache so that thegame system may have faster access to the BLOB and the game-related datacontained therein.

Systems and Methods

In particular embodiments, one or more described webpages may beassociated with a networking system or networking service. However,alternate embodiments may have application to the retrieval andrendering of structured documents hosted by any type of networkaddressable resource or web site. Additionally, as used herein, a usermay be an individual, a group, or an entity (such as a business or thirdparty application).

Particular embodiments may operate in a wide area network environment,such as the Internet, including multiple network addressable systems.FIG. 10 illustrates an example network environment 600 in which variousexample embodiments may operate. Network cloud 660 generally representsone or more interconnected networks, over which the systems and hostsdescribed herein can communicate. Network cloud 660 may includepacket-based wide area networks (such as the Internet), privatenetworks, wireless networks, satellite networks, cellular networks,paging networks, and the like. As FIG. 10 illustrates, particularembodiments may operate in a network environment comprising one or morenetworking systems, such as social networking system 620 a, gamenetworking system 620 b, and one or more client systems 630. Thecomponents of social networking system 620 a and game networking system620 b operate analogously; as such, hereinafter they may be referred tosimply as networking system 620. Client systems 630 are operablyconnected to the network environment via a network service provider, awireless carrier, or any other suitable means.

Networking system 620 is a network addressable system that, in variousexample embodiments, comprises one or more physical servers 622 and datastores 624. The one or more physical servers 622 are operably connectedto network cloud 660 via, by way of example, a set of routers and/ornetworking switches 626. In an example embodiment, the functionalityhosted by the one or more physical servers 122 may include web or HTTPservers, and FTP servers, as well as, without limitation, webpages andapplications implemented using Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script,PHP Hyper-text Preprocessor (PHP), Active Server Pages (ASP), HTML, XML,Java, JavaScript, Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX), Flash,ActionScript, and the like.

Physical servers 622 may host functionality directed to the operationsof networking system 620. Hereinafter servers 622 may be referred to asserver 622, although server 622 may include numerous servers hosting,for example, networking system 620, as well as other contentdistribution servers, data stores, and databases. Data store 624 maystore content and data relating to, and enabling, operation ofnetworking system 620 as digital data objects. A data object, inparticular embodiments, is an item of digital information typicallystored or embodied in a data file, database, or record. Content objectsmay take many forms, including: text (e.g., American Standard Code forInformation Interchange (ASCII), Standard Generalized Markup Language(SGML), HTML), images (e.g., jpeg, tif and gif), graphics (vector-basedor bitmap), audio, video (e.g., mpeg), or other multimedia, andcombinations thereof. Content object data may also include executablecode objects (e.g., games executable within a browser window or frame),podcasts, and so forth. Logically, data store 624 corresponds to one ormore of a variety of separate and integrated databases, such asrelational databases and object-oriented databases, that maintaininformation as an integrated collection of logically related records orfiles stored on one or more physical systems. Structurally, data store624 may generally include one or more of a large class of data storageand management systems. In particular embodiments, data store 624 may beimplemented by any suitable physical system(s) including components,such as one or more database servers, mass storage media, media librarysystems, storage area networks, data storage clouds, and the like. Inone example embodiment, data store 624 includes one or more servers,databases (e.g., MySQL), and/or data warehouses. Data store 624 mayinclude data associated with different networking system 620 usersand/or client systems 630.

Client system 630 is generally a computer or computing device includingfunctionality for communicating (e.g., remotely) over a computernetwork. Client system 630 may be a desktop computer, laptop computer,personal digital assistant (PDA), in- or out-of-car navigation system,smart phone or other cellular or mobile phone, or mobile gaming device,among other suitable computing devices. Client system 630 may executeone or more client applications, such as a web browser, to access andview content over a computer network. In particular embodiments, theclient applications allow a user of client system 630 to enter addressesof specific network resources to be retrieved, such as resources hostedby networking system 620. These addresses can be Uniform ResourceLocators (URLs) and the like. In addition, once a page or other resourcehas been retrieved, the client applications may provide access to otherpages or records when the user “clicks” on hyperlinks to otherresources. By way of example, such hyperlinks may be located within thewebpages and provide an automated way for the user to enter the URL ofanother page and to retrieve that page.

A webpage or resource embedded within a webpage, which may itselfinclude multiple embedded resources, may include data records, such asplain textual information, or more complex digitally encoded multimediacontent, such as software programs or other code objects, graphics,images, audio signals, videos, and so forth. One prevalent markuplanguage for creating webpages is HTML. Other common webbrowser-supported languages and technologies include XML, the ExtensibleHypertext Markup Language (XHTML), JavaScript, Flash, ActionScript,Cascading Style Sheet (CSS), and, frequently, Java. By way of example,HTML enables a page developer to create a structured document bydenoting structural semantics for text and links, as well as images, webapplications, and other objects that can be embedded within the page.Generally, a webpage may be delivered to a client as a static document;however, through the use of web elements embedded in the page, aninteractive experience may be achieved with the page or a sequence ofpages. During a user session at the client, the web browser interpretsand displays the pages and associated resources received or retrievedfrom the website hosting the page, as well as, potentially, resourcesfrom other websites.

When a user at a client system 630 desires to view a particular webpage(hereinafter also referred to as target structured document) hosted bynetworking system 620, the user's web browser, or other documentrendering engine or suitable client application, formulates andtransmits a request to networking system 620. The request generallyincludes a URL or other document identifier as well as metadata or otherinformation. By way of example, the request may include informationidentifying the user, such as a user ID, as well as informationidentifying or characterizing the web browser or operating systemrunning on the user's client computing device 630. The request may alsoinclude location information identifying a geographic location of theuser's client system or a logical network location of the user's clientsystem. The request may also include a timestamp identifying when therequest was transmitted.

Although the example network environment described above and illustratedin FIG. 10 described with respect to social networking system 620 a andgame networking system 620 b, this disclosure encompasses any suitablenetwork environment using any suitable systems. As an example and not byway of limitation, the network environment may include online mediasystems, online reviewing systems, online search engines, onlineadvertising systems, or any combination of two or more such systems.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example computing system architecture, which maybe used to implement a server 622 or a client system 630. In oneembodiment, hardware system 700 comprises a processor 702, a cachememory 704, and one or more executable modules and drivers, stored on atangible computer readable medium, and directed to the functionsdescribed herein. Additionally, hardware system 700 may include a highperformance input/output (I/O) bus 706 and a standard I/O bus 708. Ahost bridge 710 may couple processor 702 to high performance I/O bus706, whereas I/O bus bridge 712 couples the two buses 706 and 708 toeach other. A system memory 714 and one or more network/communicationinterfaces 716 may couple to bus 706. Hardware system 700 may furtherinclude video memory (not shown) and a display device coupled to thevideo memory. Mass storage 718 and I/O ports 720 may couple to bus 708.Hardware system 700 may optionally include a keyboard, a pointingdevice, and a display device (not shown) coupled to bus 708.Collectively, these elements are intended to represent a broad categoryof computer hardware systems, including but not limited to generalpurpose computer systems based on the x86-compatible processorsmanufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, Calif., and thex86-compatible processors manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD),Inc., of Sunnyvale, Calif., as well as any other suitable processor.

The elements of hardware system 700 are described in greater detailbelow. In particular, network interface 716 provides communicationbetween hardware system 700 and any of a wide range of networks, such asan Ethernet (e.g., IEEE 802.3) network, a backplane, and so forth. Massstorage 718 provides permanent storage for the data and programminginstructions to perform the above-described functions implemented inservers 622, whereas system memory 714 (e.g., DRAM) provides temporarystorage for the data and programming instructions when executed byprocessor 702. I/O ports 720 are one or more serial and/or parallelcommunication ports that provide communication between additionalperipheral devices, which may be coupled to hardware system 700.

Hardware system 700 may include a variety of system architectures, andvarious components of hardware system 700 may be rearranged. Forexample, cache 704 may be on-chip with processor 702. Alternatively,cache 704 and processor 702 may be packed together as a “processormodule,” with processor 702 being referred to as the “processor core.”Furthermore, certain embodiments of the present disclosure may notrequire nor include all of the above components. For example, theperipheral devices shown coupled to standard I/O bus 708 may couple tohigh performance I/O bus 706. In addition, in some embodiments, only asingle bus may exist, with the components of hardware system 700 beingcoupled to the single bus. Furthermore, hardware system 700 may includeadditional components, such as additional processors, storage devices,or memories.

An operating system manages and controls the operation of hardwaresystem 700, including the input and output of data to and from softwareapplications (not shown). The operating system provides an interfacebetween the software applications being executed on the system and thehardware components of the system. Any suitable operating system may beused, such as the LINUX Operating System, the Apple Macintosh OperatingSystem, available from Apple Computer Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., UNIXoperating systems, Microsoft(r) Windows(r) operating systems, BerkeleySoftware Distribution (BSD) operating systems, and the like. Of course,other embodiments are possible. For example, the functions describedherein may be implemented in firmware or on an application-specificintegrated circuit.

Furthermore, the above-described elements and operations can becomprised of instructions that are stored on non-transitory storagemedia. The instructions can be retrieved and executed by a processingsystem. Some examples of instructions are software, program code, andfirmware. Some examples of non-transitory storage media are memorydevices, tapes, disks, integrated circuits, and servers. Theinstructions are operational when executed by the processing system todirect the processing system to operate in accordance with thedisclosure. The term “processing system” refers to a single processingdevice or a group of inter-operational processing devices. Some examplesof processing devices are integrated circuits and logic circuitry. Thoseskilled in the art are familiar with instructions, computers, andstorage media.

Conclusion

Although only certain embodiments have been described in detail above,those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modificationsare possible without materially departing from the novel teachings ofthis disclosure. For example, aspects of embodiments disclosed above canbe combined in other combinations to form additional embodiments.Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included withinthe scope of this disclosure.

A recitation of “a”, “an,” or “the” is intended to mean “one or more”unless specifically indicated to the contrary. In addition, it is to beunderstood that functional operations, such as “awarding,” “locating,”“permitting,” and the like, are executed by game application logic thataccesses, and/or causes changes to, various data attribute valuesmaintained in a database or other memory. Unless specifically indicatedto the contrary, ordinal identifiers such as “first” and “second” areused herein for labeling purposes only and are not intended to denoteany specific spatial or temporal ordering. Furthermore, the labeling ofa “first” element does not imply the presence of a “second” element.

The present disclosure encompasses all changes, substitutions,variations, alterations, and modifications to the example embodimentsherein that a person having ordinary skill in the art would comprehend.Similarly, where appropriate, the appended claims encompass all changes,substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications to the exampleembodiments herein that a person having ordinary skill in the art wouldcomprehend.

For example, the methods, game features and game mechanics describedherein may be implemented using hardware components, softwarecomponents, and/or any combination thereof. By way of example, whileembodiments of the present disclosure have been described as operatingin connection with a networking website, various embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be used in connection with any communicationsfacility that supports web applications. Furthermore, in someembodiments the term “web service” and “website” may be usedinterchangeably and additionally may refer to a custom or generalizedApplication Programming Interface (API) on a device, such as a mobiledevice (e.g., cellular phone, smart phone, personal Global PositioningSystem (GPS), PDA, personal gaming device, etc.), that makes API callsdirectly to a server. The specification and drawings are, accordingly,to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. Itwill, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may bemade thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope ofthe disclosure as set forth in the claims and that the disclosure isintended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope ofthe following claims.

1. A method of matching players in an online asynchronous game whereplayers specify moves at different times, comprising: receiving valuesfor a plurality of moves corresponding to a plurality of users playingin instances of the online asynchronous game, the online asynchronousgame being hosted by a computer system that stores online-game values ina data storage system; using at least one computer to determine gameplaycharacteristics of the users from the moves, the gameplaycharacteristics for a user including at least one of a playing frequencythat characterizes how frequently the user engages in the onlineasynchronous game, a playing intensity that characterizes simultaneousinstances played by the user in the online asynchronous game or aplaying style that characterizes repeated move patterns by the user inthe online asynchronous game; matching a first user and a second user toplay a selected instance of the online asynchronous game by comparingtheir corresponding gameplay characteristics; receiving valuescorresponding to the selected instance of the online asynchronous gameas played by the first user and the second user; and determining anengagement value based on the gameplay characteristics for at least oneof the first user or the second user from the values corresponding tothe selected instance of the online asynchronous game, the engagementvalue characterizing a change in the gameplay characteristics relativeto the gameplay characteristics before the matching of the first userand the second user.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the gameplaycharacteristics are determined by using values from the moves toidentify gameplay patterns of the moves over time.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the engagement value characterizes a change in thefirst user's playing frequency relative to the first user's playingfrequency before the matching of the first user and the second user, thefirst user's playing frequency being characterized by calculating avalue for how often the first user plays the online asynchronous gamewith respect to a reference time zone.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereinthe engagement value characterizes a change in the first user's playingfrequency relative to the first user's playing frequency before thematching of the first user and the second user, the first user's playingfrequency being characterized by calculating a value for an amount oftime that the first user waits in the online asynchronous game beforeresponding to another player.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein theengagement value characterizes a change in the first user's playingintensity relative to the first user's playing intensity before thematching of the first user and the second user, the first user's playingintensity being characterized by calculating a value for a number ofinstances of the online asynchronous game being simultaneously played bythe first user.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the engagement valuecharacterizes a change in the first user's playing style relative to thefirst user's playing style before the matching of the first user and thesecond user, the first user's playing style being characterized bycalculating one or more values for how often that user employs selectedmove patterns in the online asynchronous game.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein an instance of the online asynchronous game includes a pluralityof rounds in which players specify moves at different times in eachround before a common deadline in that round.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein an instance of the online asynchronous game includes a pluralityof rounds in which players specify moves at different times byalternating moves at different times.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising classifying each user into one of a plurality of groups thateach correspond to a different range of gameplay values for a measure ofgameplay characteristics, wherein the matching of the first user and thesecond user includes: selecting the first user from a first group with afirst gameplay-value range, and selecting the second user from a secondgroup with a second gameplay-value range that is a threshold distancefrom the first gameplay-value range.
 10. The method of claim 1, whereinthe gameplay characteristics are determined from values of the moves.11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores a computerprogram for matching players in an online asynchronous game whereplayers alternate moves at different times, the computer programincluding instructions that, when executed by at least one computer,cause the at least one computer to perform operations comprising:receiving values for a plurality of moves corresponding to a pluralityof users playing in instances of the online asynchronous game, theonline asynchronous game being hosted by a computer system that storesonline-game values in a data storage system; determining gameplaycharacteristics of the users from the moves, the gameplaycharacteristics for a user including at least one of a playing frequencythat characterizes how frequently the user engages in the onlineasynchronous game, a playing intensity that characterizes simultaneousinstances played by the user in the online asynchronous game or aplaying style that characterizes repeated move patterns by the user inthe online asynchronous game; matching a first user and a second user toplaya selected instance of the online asynchronous game by comparingtheir corresponding gameplay characteristics; receiving valuescorresponding to the selected instance of the online asynchronous gameas played by the first user and the second user; and determining anengagement value based on the gameplay characteristics for at least oneof the first user or the second user from the values corresponding tothe selected instance of the online asynchronous game, the engagementvalue characterizing a change in the gameplay characteristics relativeto the gameplay characteristics before the matching of the first userand the second user.
 12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 11, wherein the gameplay characteristics are determined by usingvalues from the moves to identify gameplay patterns of the moves overtime.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11,wherein the engagement value characterizes a change in the first user'splaying frequency relative to the first user's playing frequency beforethe matching of the first user and the second user, the first user'splaying frequency being characterized by calculating a value for howoften the first user plays the online asynchronous game with respect toa reference time zone.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 11, wherein the engagement value characterizes a change in thefirst user's playing frequency relative to the first user's playingfrequency before the matching of the first user and the second user, thefirst user's playing frequency being characterized by calculating avalue for an amount of time that the first user waits in the onlineasynchronous game before responding to another player.
 15. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein theengagement value characterizes a change in the first user's playingintensity relative to the first user's playing intensity before thematching of the first user and the second user, the first user's playingintensity being characterized by calculating a value for a number ofinstances of the online asynchronous game being simultaneously played bythe first user.
 16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim11, wherein the engagement value characterizes a change in the firstuser's playing style relative to the first user's playing style beforethe matching of the first user and the second user, the first user'splaying style being characterized by calculating one or more values forhow often that user employs selected move patterns in the onlineasynchronous game.
 17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 11, wherein an instance of the online asynchronous game includes aplurality of rounds in which players specify moves at different times ineach round before a common deadline in that round.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein an instanceof the online asynchronous game includes a plurality of rounds in whichplayers specify moves at different times by alternating moves atdifferent times.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 11, wherein the computer program further includes instructionsthat, when executed by the at least one computer, cause the at least onecomputer to perform operations comprising: classifying each user intoone of a plurality of groups that each correspond to a different rangeof gameplay values for a measure of gameplay characteristics, whereinthe matching of the first user and the second user includes: selectingthe first user from a first group with a first gameplay-value range, andselecting the second user from a second group with a secondgameplay-value range that is a threshold distance from the firstgameplay-value range.
 20. An apparatus to match players in an onlineasynchronous game where players alternate moves at different times, theapparatus comprising at least one computer to perform operations forcomputer-executable modules including: a value-receiving moduleconfigured to receive values for a plurality of moves corresponding to aplurality of users playing in instances of the online asynchronous game;a gameplay-characteristics module configured to determine gameplaycharacteristics of the users from the moves, the gameplaycharacteristics for a user including at least one of a playing frequencythat characterizes how frequently the user engages in the onlineasynchronous game, a playing intensity that characterizes simultaneousinstances played by the user in the online asynchronous game or aplaying style that characterizes repeated move patterns by the user inthe online asynchronous game; and a user-matching module configured tomatch a first user and a second user to play a selected instance of theonline asynchronous game by comparing their corresponding gameplaycharacteristics, the user-matching module further operating to receivevalues corresponding to the selected instance of the online asynchronousgame as played by the first user and the second user, and theuser-matching module further operating to determine an engagement valuebased on the gameplay characteristics for at least one of the first useror the second user from the values corresponding to the selectedinstance of the online asynchronous game, the engagement valuecharacterizing a change in the gameplay characteristics relative to thegameplay characteristics before the matching of the first user and thesecond user.
 21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the gameplaycharacteristics are determined by using values from the moves toidentify gameplay patterns of the moves over time.
 22. The apparatus ofclaim 20, wherein the engagement value characterizes a change in thefirst user's playing frequency relative to the first user's playingfrequency before the matching of the first user and the second user, thefirst user's playing frequency being characterized by calculating avalue for how often the first user plays the online asynchronous gamewith respect to a reference time zone.
 23. The apparatus of claim 20,wherein the engagement value characterizes a change in the first user'splaying frequency relative to the first user's playing frequency beforethe matching of the first user and the second user, the first user'splaying frequency being characterized by calculating a value for anamount of time that the first user waits in the online asynchronous gamebefore responding to another player.
 24. The apparatus of claim 20,wherein the engagement value characterizes a change in the first user'splaying intensity relative to the first user's playing intensity beforethe matching of the first user and the second user, the first user'splaying intensity being characterized by calculating a value for anumber of instances of the online asynchronous game being simultaneouslyplayed by the first user.
 25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein theengagement value characterizes a change in the first user's playingstyle relative to the first user's playing style before the matching ofthe first user and the second user, the first user's playing style beingcharacterized by calculating one or more values for how often that useremploys selected move patterns in the online asynchronous game.
 26. Theapparatus of claim 20, wherein an instance of the online asynchronousgame includes a plurality of rounds in which players specify moves atdifferent times in each round before a common deadline in that round.27. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein an instance of the onlineasynchronous game includes a plurality of rounds in which playersspecify moves at different times by alternating moves at differenttimes.
 28. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the user-matching moduleis further configured to perform operations including: classifying eachuser into one of a plurality of groups that each correspond to adifferent range of gameplay values for a measure of gameplaycharacteristics, wherein the matching of the first user and the seconduser includes: selecting the first user from a first group with a firstgameplay-value range, and selecting the second user from a second groupwith a second gameplay-value range that is a threshold distance from thefirst gameplay-value range.